DSM-V

DSM is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which was first published in 1952. Since then it has had several revisions at irregular intervals. It is an American publication which is used to a greater or lesser degree around the world by health professionals, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. Policy makers also refer to it when making funding decisions.

DSM-IV listed hoarding as a symptom of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and referring to it as 'compulsive hoarding'. But in recent years, researchers found that hoarding did not respond to OCD treatments. This led them to investigate further. The result of various studies has been a move to redefine hoarding in DSM-V as a discrete disorder severing it from OCD and giving it a new name 'hoarding disorder'.